


Love, Death and other Disasters

by liquid_dreams



Series: Snake Charming [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst and Drama, Barbed Penis, Barebacking, Blood and Violence, Body Horror, Creepy Orochimaru (Naruto), Cunnilingus, Declarations Of Love, Disturbing Themes, Drama & Romance, Dubious Morality, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Gratuitous Smut, Implied/Referenced Torture, Insanity, Jealousy, Living Together, Loss of Virginity, Love Confessions, Mad Scientists, Mental Health Issues, Murder, Nonbinary Character, Pansexual Character, Pining, Possessive Behavior, Resolved Sexual Tension, Revenge, Rough Oral Sex, Sappy, Self-Esteem Issues, Snakes, Temporary Character Death, The Author Regrets Nothing, The Rose Tinted Glasses Won't Come Off, True Love, Twisted and Fluffy Feelings, Vaginal Sex, mutual obsession
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-07
Updated: 2019-03-07
Packaged: 2019-11-13 11:22:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18030788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liquid_dreams/pseuds/liquid_dreams
Summary: It's probably easier to fit a camel through the eye of a needle than to get a confession from Orochimaru, but Naomi's never been afraid of a good challenge.Or: Being a snakewife aint easy.





	Love, Death and other Disasters

**Author's Note:**

> *Chinhands* So I've been wondering how nasty I can get before people start a petition to get me booted off AO3.

To say that things were awkward after her confession would be an understatement. He kept sending her mixed signals. On one hand it felt like he was keeping her at arm's lenght, on the other he seemed to enjoy her presence. Naomi didn't know what to do, so she chose her favorite option, which was ignoring the problem. Not that it was a problem, she thought. Just.. She continued to work for Orochimaru. He was still her boss and he still kept sending her random biological samples. Not only humanoid anymore, though. That, however, was actually a problem. He could send her fungus cultures and plant samples all he wanted, but she wasn't going to be able to give him a real expert analysis on them. Naomi wasn't a biologist, she was a med nin. She could prod and poke at them to get a reaction and sometimes succeed, but it wasn't really her passion. When he sent her a small cage full of bugs one day she felt forced to draw the line. 

"I am not going to operate on a cockroach!" She announced furiously after bursting into his lab without knocking, bug cage swinging wildly in her hand. 

"Naomi," he sighed and looked up from his microscope. "What is it now?"

"The fucking bugs! Is this your idea of a joke!?" She complained and sat the cage down besides him. 

He eyed it and then her. "It's not like you've never worked with live specimen before, is it."

"That's not the point!" She objected and felt her cheeks flush when their eyes met. 

"What is the point, then?" He asked patiently. 

Naomi swallowed and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Awkward. She had no clue what the rules of this game were. Orochimaru only grinned at her as if he was enjoying her discomfort. He probably was, the fucker. 

"They're freaking nasty," she muttered and looked away with a huff. "What are you hoping to gain from that?"

"I would like to know about the bacteria they might carry," he said. 

"Oh," she muttered when she felt an arm snake around her middle and glanced at him sideways. "Why?"

"I am expanding the spectrum of my studies," he replied casually. 

Highly unfair. Naomi couldn't concentrate when he was touching her, yet he seemed unaffected. Her blush intensified and she coughed awkwardly. When his fingers pushed her lab coat to the side and found skin, she shivered. She still hadn't given up on her beloved crop tops, even now that winter had arrived and the already cool temperatures in the lair dropped even further. Even Orochimaru's fingers were cool. It made gooseflesh break out oh her arms. 

"Ah, i-is that so," she muttered and glanced at the slide he was studying. 

"As you know, our... guests... from Konoha are keeping an eye on our research."

"Yeah," she frowned and leaned lightly against his side. 

"Our more delicate projects must remain on hold indefinitely," he said with a hint of regret and returned his attention to his microscope without removing his hand. "As part of our negotiations with Konohagakure."

She found that she liked it. The casual yet intimate touches. Three weeks after she confessed her feelings for him he hadn't brought it up again. Neither had he said it back. Naomi didn't mind overly much. Just this once she was willing to be satisfied with anything she could get. And besides.. all those fleeting looks and touches only served to stoke her fire. It was teasing, plain and simple. A game that she thoroughly enjoyed. She leaned down and tried to see what he was studying. From afar it looked like grey dust. 

"Mold?" She asked curiously. 

"A form of it, yes."

"What's so interesting about mold?" She demanded and made a face.

"All sorts of things," he replied with a hint of amusement. 

Naomi shivered when he stroked her side with his thumb. "A-ah. Well then."

"You might enjoy it," he replied in a low voice. "Try to find the value in a broader field of studies. Even primitive lifeforms still hold mysteries."

"I'm still not gonna cut open a bug," she insisted. "I'd rather work with anything else."

"Are you refusing a direct order?" He asked and pinched her quite unexpectedly.

"Iaaagh!" She squeaked and hastily stepped away from him. "Ow ow ow! Now I'm definitely not gonna do it!"

With a glare in his direction she rubbed her stinging side. Rude! He leaned back and smirked at her. Something about his expression made her perk up. 

"Do I need to teach you a lesson in obedience?" 

"Uh," she muttered and remembered the last 'lesson' he taught her. 

When he suddenly licked his lips and she saw his long serpentine tongue emerge from his mouth, far longer than a human tongue should be – it went past his chin -, she felt transfixed by the sight. A spike of arousal went through her unbidden and her face erupted in a blush. This was far too much like the strange and unsettling dreams that still haunted her most of the week. Orochimaru stood up slowly and stepped towards her. Naomi swallowed hard and looked up at him, trying to gauge if he was playful-playful or sadistic-playful. 

"Hm," he hummed as he casually ran his hands down her arms, pushing them behind her back. "I like that expression."

"Wh-what expression?" She shivered when she suddenly found a scaly body wrap around her wrists behind her back. 

He raised a hand to her face and cupped her jaw. Naomi tried to move her wrists and felt a fissure of heat run down her spine when she couldn't. A lazy smirk grew on his face.

"Exactly that expression," he said and pushed his thumb against her lips. 

Without much prompting she licked the pad of his thumb before she closed her lips around it and sucked. With the tip of her tongue she teased the pad, tasting salt and a slightly metallic tang. He watched her mouth with a hungry expression. Naomi smirked and pulled back.

"I like your expression right now, too," she murmured. 

His eyes lifted to meet hers and his pupils promptly dilated. Naomi licked her lips. On second thought, she stuck her tongue out as far as it could go. Then she smirked at his confused look. 

"Just checking. Yours is definitely longer," she laughed. "Mh, I wonder what that could be useful for~?"

"Many things," he whispered and bent down. "For example.."

Naomi's eyes widened in delight when their lips met in a biting kiss and opened her mouth without prompting. Her heart thumped painfully in her chest and she shuddered when she felt that long, powerful tongue slide into her mouth, completely dominating her own. Her thighs trembled and she let out a wanton little moan. When he drew back he licked her lips and Naomi panted unabashedly with half-lidded eyes. 

"Wh-why.. is everything you do... so damn sexy?" She asked weakly. 

"Is that what you think?" He asked with a slow grin. 

"Mm, yeah."

"I take it you like being restrained," he stated as his eyes scanned her face. 

Naomi glanced away and nodded jerkily. Orochimaru chuckled and drew back. The restraint around her wrist disappeared as well. Naomi swayed on the spot and fanned her burning face after he turned around. 

"I shall keep that in mind," he said and went back to his research.

Typical. She rolled her eyes heavenward and turned sharply on her heels. Frustration and desire were warring in her chest as she left his lab. He did that every time and it made her want to pull her hair out. Tease her with fleeting touches, make out for a bit and then retreat. It looked almost as if he did not want or enjoy more physical contact. And frankly, it was driving her crazy. Made her feel insecure, too. Did he simply not want her like that? She couldn't imagine how this could possibly work if he wasn't going to fuck her at some point. Naomi had needs, dammit! Perhaps it was time to give up on crop tops, as they were obviously doing nothing. 

At least his minions started to relax around her. In her opinion it had been silly how reverently they used to treat her. Now she could sit at a table in the cafeteria with them without being stared at like an alien. Chewing contently on a perfectly done rare steak, she listened to the murmured conversations around her without a care in the world. 

"I don't get it," somebody on the table behind her said. 

"What?"

"Look at that hot piece of ass. Why's nobody trying to get with that?"

"Oh man, you must be new."

"So?"

"Well, rumor has it that that's the master's woman."

"What? Are you kiddin' me? No way," the man said and laughed incredulously. 

"Yeah way. Imagine the consequences."

"No freaking way, man. No way."

"Can you blame people for being careful, though? I mean.."

"Is he even..? You know. I can't imagine it."

"Shh! What if somebody hears?"

"Just saying. Can't imagine it," the man said more quietly. "That he has any working parts."

"Fuck, me neither, but it's not really something I try to think about."

Naomi pouted and put her cutlery down. Now that was just plain rude! Surely that wasn't it! Perhaps he just lacked the drive instead. Which wasn't any better, though. His minions obviously had no such problems. When she picked up her tray and made her way through the chairs she could feel several pairs of eyes on her backside. It was too bad, really. On the way to the tray holder she didn't pay attention and flinched a little when her knife suddenly slid off the tray and clattered to the floor. With a sigh she bent down to pick it up. Somebody wolf whistled behind her. Naomi grabbed the knife and ignored it. Since lunch break was almost over a small gaggle of people were crowding the exits. Naomi joined them and wondered distantly about her next series of experiments. At least the queue kept moving. She was eager to get back to her lab. When she passed through the door her eyes widened slightly when she felt somebody squeeze her ass. Once outside she looked around and regarded the shinobi heading out of the cafeteria curiously, but none of them looked back. Naomi tsk'ed loudly and headed to her lab. This situation was just allover frustrating. 

Three knocks on the door made her look up from her latest experiment. "Enter!"

"Hi Naomi-sama," Sato Ichigo said with a grin as he poked his head through the door.

He was more or less the official courier who took her reports to Orochimaru and brought her samples. And, as she couldn't help but notice, a very fit young man with warm eyes and a blinding smile. She grinned back and waved him in. Today she'd chosen her 'underboob' top with only a long sleeved mesh shirt beneath it in a fit of pique. By cranking up the heating inside her lab she officially decided to rebel against winter and kept wearing her preferred clothes. As she rummaged through the stacks of paper littering her desk she could feel his eyes on her. It was too bad, really, she thought with a mental sigh. She wasn't going to repeat that mistake. After all, the walls had eyes.

"Here you go," she said and handed him all five pages of her latest report. 

Ichigo took it, winked at her and gave her a demonstrative once over. Naomi smirked at him and made a shooing motion.

"Shoo. I've got work to do," she said with a chuckle. 

"Of course you do," he replied teasingly and bowed before he left. 

Naomi sighed once he was gone and buried her face in her hands. "Ugh. Man, this sucks."

Everything sucked, except for her, she thought with a miserable grin. Thanks to the new Konohan supervision her access to test subjects was practically non-existent. In the week before the Konohan shinobi delegation arrived they'd been forced to downsize the staff by almost half. Orochimaru had expressed his frustration at the village being put under the heel of the Hokage, but it was part of the terms that allowed him to remain out of prison. Naomi gradually uncovered the role he played during the fourth shinobi world war and before. He'd even been mentioned on a television special on the day that marked the fifth anniversary of the end of the war. It was interesting to learn how much more ruthless he used to be in his pursuit of knowledge. Now that they were under outside supervision, though, things like human experimentation were out of question. At least she managed to create her chakra absorption technique beforehand. Speaking of which... Naomi glanced at her reflection in the dark computer screen. She got real close and turned her head slightly to the side. 

"Good, good," she mumbled and poked at the skin around her eyes. 

Ever since her twenty first birthday she'd become strangely paranoid about getting wrinkles. That was when she realized that she was slowly but surely growing older. As she wasn't only brilliant, but also vain, she refused to succumb to the natural aging process. Sometimes she asked to be sent out under the cover of a research mission. During those occasions she ventured forth until she found hostile shinobi, incapacitated them and drained them of their chakra. After a few of them died she figured she'd leave them a little to prevent unccessary deaths. It would look strange to their Konohan overlords if they read about her kill count on what was supposed to be innocent missions, after all. They took their duty seriously. Her lab had been searched several times already. 

Naomi leaned back in her chair and ran a hand down her stomach with a deep sigh. It would seem the only satisfaction she could get happened in her dreams. At least in those she got laid, she thought mournfully. Even if it was with a giant snake. After the inital weirdness she simply concluded that it was a weird recurring dream cooked up by a sexuall frustrated subconsciousness and basically Orochimaru's fault. Her feelings for him hadn't changed. She tried to be patient with him, but it was so hard when she was filled with burning desire. She bit her lower lip. If it was true that he had no interest in sex, they should have a serious talk. Naomi stood up in a fluid motion and threw on her lab coat before she left the sanctity of her lab. 

"Oro-kun?" She asked after knocking on his door.

No response. Where else could he be? Naomi's brows furrowed. There were levels and hidden places throughout the hideout that not even she knew about. Not that she made much of an effort to snoop around. He could be anywhere. It was getting late, so she figured he might have retreated to his bedroom. Hilariously enough she knew where it was, but not for any fun reason. She'd stumbled over it by accident one day. Naomi sighed and trudged down the icy cold hallways. Orochimaru's private quarters were off limits. To hammer this home, the hallway they were situated in was flanked by an alley of tall snake statues with glinting eyes. Naomi absently admired the craftsmanship as they looked incredibly lifelike and marched towards a black double door with intricate carvings on it. She knocked politely and hugged herself while she waited for a response. 

"Who's there?"

"It's me," she answered and suppressed a shiver. "Can I come in?"

"Yes."

She opened the door and went in. Orochimaru's bedroom was only marginally warmer than the hallway. The man himself was sitting at a desk reading a book in the light of one of those snake lamps. Naomi smiled when he looked up.

"What is it?"

"Oro-kun, can we talk?"

He sat back in his chair and nodded. She wandered over to him and worried her lower lip. How to start this conversation? There were still so many things she didn't know about him. She brushed her bangs to the side and went to him. He looked up at her and she noticed that his eyes lingered on her chest. 

"It's so cold in here," she complained. 

"Have you considered covering yourself up more?" He asked. 

"Eh," she huffed and leaned against his desk, grinning down at him. "Not really."

"Perhaps you should," he said in a bored tone and closed his book without looking at her. 

"Why? Don't you like this outfit?" She asked and trailed a hand down her side with a small smirk. "I picked it out just for you."

His nostrils flared and he slowly looked up at her. Naomi paused when she recognized that look. Narrow-eyed, barely hidden tumoil. He was upset for some reason. Nothing good ever came from that. 

"What's wrong?"

He rose from his chair and inhaled slowly. His hair was loose and hung into his face, covering the right half of it. He crowded her against the desk and Naomi sat down on it, spreading her legs to accomodate him. He lifted his right hand and grabbed her left boob with it. Naomi blinked in confusion.

"What?!"

"That. That's what's wrong," he hissed and squeezed painfully. 

"Huh?? Ow!" She complained and glanced between his eyes. 

"You walking about not wearing a bra! Shamelessly displaying your chest to anyone who looks!" He snapped and pinched her stiff nipple. 

"A-ah ow," she winced and furrowed her brows. "It's just my style!"

"I've seen them looking," he growled and narrowed his eyes. "Did you forget I have eyes everywhere? What were you thinking?"

"What do you- you mean in the cafeteria? I just dropped something, jeez!"

"One of them dared to touch you and you did nothing!"

"Urk!" She croaked when he suddenly let go of her chest and grabbed her throat instead. 

It really had been a while since he'd been that pissed. It was probably very telling about her mental state that she found it hot. Naomi licked her lips and shivered. He inclined his head until their faces were barely a handspan apart and narrowed his eyes. 

"Do you enjoy being treated like a common whore?"

"O-Oro-kun.. That's not..."

"I had to sit there and watch," he growled and tightened his grip. "Watch as my subordinates lust after what is mine!"

She let out a shaky breath at the ferocity of his expression. There was no doubt in her mind that this right here was a very volatile situation. If he outright killed one of his subordinates under supervision it would look very bad. She had to calm him down somehow. As she'd learned, submission was one way to do that. 

"Oro-kun," she whispered. "I don't care about anyone else. Just you."

"I wonder," he hissed and glared at her. "Then why do you act like an alley cat in heat?"

"Because!" She ground out and furrowed her brows. "Can you let go? That's exactly what we need to talk about!"

At first she tensed, thinking he was going to do something rash, but then he visibly struggled to calm himself. He let go of her neck, but did not back up to give her space. Naomi rubbed at her throat with a small frown and tried to collect her thoughts. 

"Well?" He demanded impatiently. 

"It's.. ugh.. Look," she sighed and glanced away before she fixed him with a stern expression. "I love you as you are, okay? Yeah don't look at me like that please, it's true. I love you and respect you as a fellow scientist and I'm actually very happy to be here. Near you. And I don't want to put any pressure on you to go any further since you obviously don't want to-"

"What-"

"Shh!" She said and covered his mouth with her hand. "Let me finish. It's perfectly okay, alright? No stress. So since you don't seem to want me like that- EW! Don't lick my hand! Kami! Just let me- Iiiaaaagh! Stop!"

His brows were furrowed and he was glaring hard, but Naomi glared back and kept his mouth covered. 

"As I was saying! I don't want to cross your boundaries- Stop it! Or make you uncomfortable. That being said.... I do have needs, Oro-kun. So if you're not planning to have sex with me, which is fine as I said, then at least let me find release elsewhere. Ow! Did you just bite me?!"

She yanked her hand away with an accusatory glare and cradled it to her chest, inspecting the two small lesions made by his fangs. Orochimaru coughed and licked his lips, glaring just as hard. 

"First off, never do that again," he snapped. "Secondly. What the hell are you talking about?!"

"What?" She asked defensively. "I'm just trying to-"

He grabbed her hand and put it over his groin. Naomi's eyes grew to the size of saucers when she felt an erection straining against his loose black pants. 

"Oh," she said intelligently. 

"Does that feel like I don't want you?"

"W-well, no.."

"So where did you get that stupid idea?" He asked irritably. 

Naomi was momentarily stunned by this revelation. Instead of replying she chose to feel him up. A hot flush crept into her cheeks. She glanced up at him from under her lashes and smiled. 

"It's just.. I mean, we always kiss and stuff, but you never.. I mean. Why do you always turn away then? I kind of assumed.."

"Ah, it's rather simple," he replied and tilted her chin up. "Sex with me is not pleasant for my partners. I've been told so many times. Once it is over you will hate me. I do not want that."

"But why?" 

He paused and gave her an even look. Naomi was confused. Unpleasant? How? And what was that about 'many partners'? So he'd been having sex, but not kissed anyone until her? Huh. She scratched her cheek and glanced away, feeling suddenly quite shy. A cool hand cupped her jaw and she looked up at him. 

"Drop it. It's for the best," he said quietly before he kissed her. 

It was surprisingly gentle. Naomi relaxed, closed her eyes and wound her arms around his neck. There was no way she'd ever hate a man who kissed her so tenderly. Naomi couldn't help but feel the heat curl in her belly and pressed herself against him, using her legs to reel him in. Orochimaru came willingly. When they pulled apart she smiled brightly. 

"Aaah. I just can't get enough of this," she murmured happily. "Oro-kun, I'd never hate you."

"You say that so easily," he replied in a quiet voice.

Naomi huffed and touched the side of his jaw. "Cause it's the truth," she told him with a happy smile. "I'd like it if you trust me a little more."

"Trust," he muttered. "Huh.."

She inhaled and closed her eyes briefly before she gave him a determined look. "Show me."

"Naomi."

"Come on."

He still looked unwilling and drew back. Orochimaru's face rarely gave away his thoughts and feelings, but right then it was clear that he felt conflicted. Naomi had a sort of personal credo: When in doubt, push it. That was why she let her hand travel down his chest and abdomen until the tips of her fingers found his erection again. His nostrils flared and he blinked slowly. This time she was more thorough in her exploration. He had a sizeable lenght and cirumference from what she could tell. So far there was nothing unusual about it. She gave him a few experimental strokes and still couldn't find anything off. Orochimaru looked sort of hypnotized with his eyes fixed on hers and utter lack of movement. 

"It's not that weird," she muttered with a smile. "Hey.. I'd like to have a closer look.."

"Fine," he said, voice slightly rougher than usual. 

She slid off the desk with a triumphant grin and pushed lightly against his chest. "Sit down."

He listened and sat back down on his desk chair. Naomi got down on her knees and lightly ran her hands up his thighs. Then she let them travel up to the hem of his pants and pulled them down to free his lenght. It looked perfectly normal. Just as pale as the rest of his skin, albeit flushed an angry red. Naomi smirked and leaned forward under his watchful gaze. She gave him an experimental lick and felt his thighs tense under her hands. It was surprisingly easy to get him riled up, considering how cool and collected he usually acted. Despite the flush in her cheeks and the deep seated glow of pleasure and satisfaction at getting to do this for him, to take their relationship a step further, she kept watching him closely. She figured this should be all about him, since he was the one who had doubts about this. Orochimaru reacted beautifully. He was tense and his eyelids kept fluttering, though he made a valiant effort to keep watching. She saw his hands clamp down on the edge of the desk convulsively and heard his breathing speed up and become irregular. Naomi was enjoying herself, too. The taste and shape of his penis sent waves of heat through her body, which seemed to pool in her sex. She heard him suck in a sharp breath and glanced up, only to see a strained, sort of out of it expression on his face.

"I am.. close.. you should pull off," he said in a gravelly voice.

"Mhh, no," she hummed.

"Naomi, I'm.. serious."

She demonstratively ignored his words. One of his hands wound into her hair. She felt his fingers twitch against her scalp and winced a little when he tightened his grip. 

"You.. need to-!"

Suddenly she felt something strange pushing against her tongue. It felt like a bunch of small, hard ridges. The more she teased them, the more they grew. Orochimaru's breathing grew labored and she felt a slight tremble in his hand. Naomi pulled off and regarded his penis curiously. Below the tip, a ring of what looked like small barbs was emerging. She prodded them with her tongue and realized that they felt hard, a bit like fingernails. 

"Mh, how unusual," she commented idly. 

"Ah.. that.. is..," he was panting hard, but she could hear how reluctant he sounded. 

Now it was clear why his previous partners complained. If those things grew inside her.. Would be painful, she thought. Strangely enough, she neither felt disgusted nor repelled by the idea. It must be the dreams, she thought wryly. I've been turned into a deviant. She glanced up at him from under her lashes and noticed the almost pained grimace on his face. He was so tense she could see the tremors running through his entire body. Shrugging mentally, she adapted her strategy and focused her attention on the tip of his dick, pumping the lenght with her hand. 

"Ngh.. ah..you..," he rasped. "Close."

"Come on," she whispered. "Let go. I want it."

Orochimaru groaned and let his head fall forward. It was the only warning she got. A spurt of hot and very bitter semen shot into her mouth. She tried to swallow it all, but it came too fast and there was simply too much. She leaned back and coughed a little. It didn't stop. Pearly white semen hit her in the cheeks and dripped down her chin, onto her shirt. Orochimaru was sucking in hissing breaths and she was momentarily fascinated by the sight of his expression. It was a mix of torture and bliss. She blinked and looked down when she felt a trickle of hot cum run down her stomach. Her eyes widened comically when she saw the mess he made of her. The front of her shirt was drenched as if somebody had thrown a glass of water at her. 

"Wow. That's... a lot," she concluded dumbly. 

Naomi wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand and met his eyes. Very wide, sort of amazed looking eyes. 

"You.. you're quite special."

"Thanks."

They stared at each other. Naomi's eyes fluttered closed for a second when she shifted and felt her aroused sex throb. She let out a shaky breath and hung her head.

"Oh kami.. That was sort of amazing, but I'm.."

"Stand up."

"Huh? Yeah...," she said and slowly got on her feet. 

With a mildly disgusted grimace at the feeling of rapidly cooling, sticky cum all over her, she started to pull her shirt off. Taking care not to let it get into her hair she balled the ruined shirt up and tried to clean her chest and stomach as best as she could. Suddenly he grabbed a hold of her mesh shirt and tugged.

"Get this off, too," he demanded.

"As you wish," she replied with a small grin. 

He'd already collected himself and smirked at her with a wicked glint in his eyes. Naomi grinned back and noted with some surprise that he seemed to have lost his inhibitions entirely. He rose from his seat and untied the sash of his loose wrap tunic, exposing a pale chest. Her eyes lingered on the tattoos on his left arm. 

"Oh, those are cool," she said. 

"They're an useful tool," he replied and glanced in direction of an intricately painted spanish wall. "Go lie down."

Raising a brow at his almost eager tone, she did as he asked. She unzipped her skirt and let it slide to the floor before she sat down on the silk sheets and pulled her sandals off. Then she glanced at the obviously expensive azure sheets and slipped under them. The silk felt heavenly on her exposed skin and she hummed contently. 

"You've got great taste," she said out loud. 

"I'm aware," he replied smugly as he rounded the wall. 

Naomi pulled the covers up to her neck and smirked. The breath hitched in her throat when he pulled his pants off in front of the bed. The anatomy of his genitals was odd. In every sense of the word. When aroused his penis looked perfectly normal, but right then it wasn't.. Wasn't even there. Naomi blinked in confusion. It looked like simply did not have any genitals. No balls, nothing. She blinked again.

"Wh.. um," she said and swallowed. "What?"

He tilted his head to the side. "What?"

"You.. um..."

"Confused?" He asked with a smirk. "It seemed only practical for me to eliminate my body's natural weak spot."

"Makes.. sense..?"

Without further ado he lifted the end of the blanket and slid underneath. A small gasp left her when he crept up into the space between her legs. The fact that she couldn't see him only added to her excitement. Her skin felt hypersensitive as even the tickle of his hair made her jump a little. Orochimaru grabbed a hold of her thighs and pushed them apart.

"Oh," she breathed and blushed hard. "Are you.."

Naomi's back arched off the mattress when she felt his tongue slide between her folds. The breath left her lungs in a rush and her eyes flew open when he went to work. After all this waiting and suffering from sexual frustration it took almost embarrassingly little time until she was panting and feeling her pulse thundering in her throat. 

"Oh.. oh kami... more," she demanded feebly and tried to stop herself from squeezing her thighs together. "Ah..! Deeper..."

At first she thought it was a finger, but no. No, it was his tongue. That long, startlingly strong tongue that teased her entrance until her hips were twitching and then forced its way inside. 

"Ah!" She gasped loudly, feeling like she'd been suckerpunched. 

It felt weird and a little painful when her innermost walls got spread apart, but pain soon turned to pleasure at the way it wriggled around. Naomi hid her burning face behind her hands and wondered with a mix of embarrassment and awe how he could possibly stand- How long was his tongue anyway?! When he also began to use his fingers to tease and rub her clit, she damn near lost it. 

"O-oh kami.. oh.. this is.. too much!" She panted and threw an arm over her eyes. "Ah.. fuck.."

All of a sudden she felt a painful stab in her abdomen and tensed. He paused his ministrations and she let out a shuddering breath when she felt his tongue retreat. 

"Are you a virgin?" He asked.

"Uh.. yeah," she muttered and glanced down at the lump beneath the covers that was probably his head. 

"Mh. Delicious," he said, much to her confusion. "It will change soon."

"Yh-yeah hopefully," she muttered, feeling more than slightly desperate. 

She felt his grip on her thighs tighten and braced herself. "I'm curious. I want to taste it as it breaks."

"Wh..," she breathed and stared at the ceiling in disbelief. "I.. what.. Just..oh."

Naomi sucked in a breath. One of his trademark characteristics was his boundless curiosity, but some of the ways it manifested made her wonder. That strong tongue slithered back inside her and she let out a quaking breath at how sinfully good it felt. This time, when it hit that spot, it was less painful. Weirdo, she thought with distant fondness. Using me to satisfy his curiosity. A swooping sensation went through her stomach. She needed something to hold onto, anything. The way he teased her insides was making her head spin. She was already on edge and at this rate it would be over soon. A pained gasp escaped her when he suddenly pushed forward. Her head jerked forward and she stared at the man under the cover in a mix of pain and fascination. It burned and it stung, but once it was over the pain faded fairly quickly. Exhaling shakily she let her head fall back. His tongue drew back to the more sensitive outer parts of her vagina where he didn't have to tease her much before she was blindsided by a shuddering, overwhelming orgasm. 

"Oh kami.. that was.. wow."

She closed her eyes and sighed happily. He crawled up from under the covers and she opened one eye when she felt warm breath fan over her face. Orochimaru was staring down at her with a hungry look that sent a fissure of heath through her. 

"Wow," she muttered and blinked slowly. "You're...wow."

"I figured you should have your pleasure beforehand," he said by way of explaination. 

"Before what?"

"Before the actual intercourse, which will likely not be very satisfying for you."

Her lips twitched. "Intercourse, really?"

His eyes narrowed. Naomi reeled him in with a big grin. "Let's do it."

With a huff he brushed his hair behind his ear and regarded her with an unexpectedly serious look. 

"I can't hold back for long. When it comes out you mustn't move or it'll hurt. Do you understand?"

"Mhm yeah."

"I'm serious, Naomi."

"Why is it like that anyway?"

"My body is the result of various experiments," he stated neutrally. "All of it has been altered from its original state. Like I said, I deemed it practical to eliminate a man's natural weak spot."

"Fascinating. Where do you keep it, then?" She blinked. "Your dick, I mean."

"In an unaroused state it is simply retracted inside my pelvic area."

"So like a..snake..," she trailed off and felt her eyes widen.

"Yes." 

"Oh," she said, remembering her dreams in vivid detail. "Oh!"

"What?"

She stared at him, opened her mouth and closed it again. Exactly like her perverted dreams. This couldn't possibly be a coincidence. There was no way she was gonna tell him about that, though. Some things just didn't need to be mentioned. At least not in such a young relationship. That aside, she was insanely curious to see how that worked. 

"So it only comes out when you're in the mood, huh?"

"Yes," he replied and eyed her. "Would you like a detailed description? Or a demonstration perhaps?"

"Hm," she replied with a grin. "Demonstration, please."

She brushed her hand down his abdomen and marvelled at the smooth skin. It was weird. There was just.. she traced the v of his hips and lower. Nothing. Or? Her brows twitched. There was a small especially soft patch of skin. She circled the edge and gave him a questioning look. Orochimaru's eyes narrowed a little and he licked his lips. Naomi placed her hand flat over that place. 

"Should we, I don't know, make out a bit?" She asked weakly in the face of his lack of reaction. 

"Open your mouth," he demanded roughly. 

What followed was a startlingly aggressive, biting kiss. He was smothering her with his weight, pushing her wrists down on the mattress. Naomi relished this newfound closeness and spread her legs to accomodate him better. His hips jerked against her and her eyes opened in surprise when she felt something stir against her belly.

"Let me," she mumbled against his mouth. "Wanna feel it."

He kept his eyes closed as she tugged her right wrist out of his grasp and slid it down between them. There it was. She felt it emerge from that soft patch of skin. Gradually the tip of his penis began to swell and enlargen. Soon the rest of his shaft also emerged until she was holding his fully erect member in her hand. 

"Mh wow," she said and gave him an experimental stroke. "That's amazing. Is it.. sensitive?"

"Very," he murmured. 

"Ah? All over or more in the head?" She asked with a teasing lilt as she brushed her thumb over the tip. 

His nostrils flared and he opened his eyes with a slightly annoyed expression. "All over. Likely due.. due to.."

He trailed off when she kept teasing him. Naomi smirked smugly when his eyes went slightly unfocused and he let out a soft noise. His head lowered until their foreheads were touching and his hair created a black curtain around them. Then and only then did Naomi suddenly feel a surge of love flood her heart; stronger than anything she'd felt before. She guided him to her entrance and let out a soft breath. 

"I don't wanna wait anymore," she murmured. "Oro-kun.. make me yours."

"Foolish..," he muttered back and pushed in. "You already are."

She tensed automatically at the intrusion before gradually relaxing. For once in her life she didn't feel the need to say anything. Instead she was content to just watch him. At first he seemed tense and unsure somehow, but as always he was quick to mask his doubts. A soft, fond smile grew on her face and he bent down to bestow a series of light kisses on it. It was an achingly sweet gesture that left her speechless. She couldn't be certain for sure, but she thought she read a bit of anxiety in his eyes, along with something warm and soft. He pushed her bangs back and placed several light kisses on her forehead that made her giggle. Orochimaru did not move until she wrapped her legs around his hips and wriggled her brows. 

"I'll try..," he muttered and trailed off with a small concentrated frown. "It might still.."

"Move," she muttered and lifted her hips a bit. 

"Yes, of course," he replied with a sigh. 

She didn't expect it would feel so good. Her eyes fluttered closed and she threw her head back as he started thrusting. With the afterglow gone she felt a fissure of heat and want ripple down her spine and curling in her belly. When he picked up the pace almost frantically she couldn't help but moan. Her hands fumbled around for something to hold onto until they found the wood of the bed's headboard. Even more enthralling were the sounds he made. Almost desperate little groans kept escaping him and his breath came in short bursts that ghosted across her face. Naomi felt downright wanton in her pleasure and threw her head from side to side with needy whines. 

"Ah! Come on, come on!" She begged.

"Na..omi.."

She needed more, right this instant, so she started lifting her hips to meet his thrusts. It was so much better than she imagined! She felt her second climax approach like a freight train and bit down hard on her lower lip. 

"Unghh I'm gonna.. un.. Oro-kun!" She gasped.

"Ssh..sshould.. ah..," he grunted and grabbed a hold of her wrists. 

Her back arched off the mattress and her toes curled when her orgasm washed over her entire body, bright and perfect. Orochimaru stopped moving, too. All she could focus on was how good she felt, how fast her breath came when it slowly started to ebb away. She blinked one eye open and looked at him, but his gaze was far away. 

"Oro-kun?" She mumbled and shifted a little. 

It was a bad idea. Several small stabs of pain followed even the slightest motion and she froze. It felt like several tiny nails were digging into her walls. The barbs, she thought with wide eyes. They were..

"Don't move," he rasped quickly. 

"Ah," she sighed and relaxed. "When I think about it, this is.. pretty great."

Despite his words she felt absolutely curious. Even the slightest clenching of her muscles elicted a painful little stab. Naomi stared at his expression. He looked totally out of it. She clenched down around him again and inhaled sharply at the pain. His pupils were completely dilated and his nostrils flared.

"Don't move," he repeated mechanically. 

"Mh," she hummed and licked her lips. "Your dick is grabbing onto me so tightly. I kind of.. like it... Oh.."

A spurt of hot come shot into her womb without warning. The sensation made her shiver and clench automatically, the pain that followed registered only dimly. He came a lot again and Naomi let out a breathy little sigh when she saw that he didn't seem to notice a damn thing. Thinking about it, she realized that this was a lot like in her dreams. She couldn't move, she just had to lie there and take it all. For some disturbing reason she found that she was loving it. The dreams, she thought in defeat. Through them I've been conditioned to find this hot. 

"Ah...hah.. Oro-kun?" She whispered and smiled when he obviously tried to focus on her. "I love this. It feels so good."

"Hh..," he breathed. "Yes?"

Her smile widened at the completely wrecked sound of his voice. "Yes. This is the best. I, um. I like being restrained and you're.. this is just perfect. And uh.. Ahh.. I love how it feels when you come inside m-me.. Ah, there's so much..Oro-kun.."

"Nn," he grunted and let his head drop forward. 

When their foreheads touched she closed her eyes and smiled contently. This really was the best. So those stupid dreams were good for something, after all. Feeling the barbs draw back and his penis retreat without him moving at all was a little strange, but she didn't have it in her to care. Naomi was beyond exhausted. Orochimaru made no move to get off her and his weight was starting to make it hard to breathe. 

"Oi.. You're going to crush me," she said softly. 

"Mh."

"Don't 'mh' me, move," she muttered and tried to shift away. 

He sighed and shifted to the side. Naomi made a face when she felt the sticky mess between her legs. Time for a shower, she thought, but when she made to leave his arm shot out and grabbed her middle.

"Hey," she complained softly when he pulled her back against his chest. 

"Go to sleep," he ordered.

"What, but-"

"Sleep."

"Your sheets are ruined. This is going to be a mess once we wake up."

"Shh."

Naomi rolled her eyes and grinned despite herself. He trapped her legs with his own and pulled her snug against his chest. It was too bad, now she wasn't going to be able to leave. Really. Too bad. She closed her eyes and sighed contently. 

Things had definitely changed between them after that. For one, Orochimaru seemed to hold back a lot less when it came to touching her. He was so handsy it almost seemed like he was starved for touch. Several of his underlings saw them walking down hallways hand in hand. At first she felt a little embarrassed at being caught, but then she noticed that he looked so smug every time it happened that she started to think he was enjoying the startled looks of his minions. Aside from that he also had a healthy sexual appetite, despite all appearances to the contrary. More than once she found herself getting dragged into a shadowy corner for an impromptu makeout session, which often led further. Actual sex did not happen outside the bedroom, though; it was far too messy for that. Naomi could not be any happier. Cloud nine didn't even begin to describe it. Every time she looked at her Oro-kun she broke out into a blush and grinned almost shyly. An endorphine rush shot through her system every time he pulled her against him. He was all she could see, the other people in the compound only registered in passing. Orochimaru seemed more relaxed as well. His smiles didn't lose their dangerous edge, but there was a certain warmth in his eyes now. Aside from being overly clingy he also kept demanding her attention so she didn't get much work done anymore. 

She tried to show him in every way that he was the only one for her, but sometimes she wondered if his jealousy wasn't a result of some form of hidden self-esteem issue. One time one of his minions caught them kissing in a corner and whistled, Orochimaru nearly ended him. As she now mostly hung around his lab while he worked, she got curious and had a look around. There were folders upon folders of meticulously sorted and labelled research notes, scientific books and journals. He also had two screens and a bunch of technological stuff in a corner. One display showed several tiny windows where he monitored the cameras hidden in the snake lamps. There were a lot. Even in her lab, bed- and bathroom, as she realized with some incredulity. 

"Were you spying on me?" She asked and turned her head around to stare at him. 

"Hm?" He glanced up and saw her looking at the monitor. "Occasionally."

Naomi raised a brow. "From the start? Or.."

With a pointedly bored look he returned his attention to his fungus sample. "I always review the tapes of potential weak spots in the complex."

"Ah," she huffed with a grin. "Like my bathroom."

"No, that was for my own pleasure."

"You're not even trying to deny it! You perv!" She laughed and heard him mutter something in response. "What was that?"

"Nothing."

Naomi slidled up to him and wrapped her arms around him from behind. She rested her cheek against his back and smiled fondly. 

"I didn't catch that," she spoke softly. 

He shifted a little. "I didn't think...," he mumbled. 

"Think what?" She asked patiently, knowing by now how good he was at winding out of uncomfortable questions. 

He sighed lightly and turned around. She blinked up at him and grinned lazily. One of his hands came up to tug on the strand of hair that framed the left side of her face. His expression was calm and unreadable, the mask he always wore when he wanted to hide his thoughts. 

"I didn't expect this result," he stated rather cryptically. 

Naomi tried to parse his words and translate their meaning. "Result, huh? You mean me being very much in love with you?"

He glanced fleetingly between her eyes before he cupped her jaw. "It seemed too unrealistic. I would have been content with watching."

It seemed like such a bleak prospect. Naomi felt her gaze soften and leaned into his touch. "When?"

"Hm?"

She turned her face and placed a kiss on the inside of his palm. "When did you start liking me?"

He glanced to the side and lowered his hand. She felt her brows rise with the realization that he looked almost embarrassed, which was an unusual sight. 

"Must we talk about this?" He ground out. "Is it not enough that I do?"

"What's the big deal? I'm just honestly curious," she mumbled in confusion. 

He sighed and glanced at her from the corner of his eyes before his gaze returned to his bookshelves. 

"About two years ago."

"Huh?!" She leaned back and stared at him in confusion. 

That was two years before they even met! What the heck was he talking about?

"A former minion of mine, Kabuto-kun, has a subscription for the journal of the Association of Medical Nin. He pointed out to me that I was mentioned in an essay about blood transfusions. As it had been several decades since I dabbled in medical jutsu I was curious to see who dug out my old material. I'd almost forgotten about the experiments you referenced," he said with a light grin. 

"That was your work?!" Her eyes widened in surprise. "I tried to find out who the author was since it was brilliant material, but the name had been censored! It just said 'Sannin O.'" 

"It figures," he said neutrally. "They did try very hard to erase all traces of me after I left Konoha."

"Go on," she said curiously. 

"It was a very good article, the most interesting one they published in years. You asked several bold questions that must have doubtlessly sounded controversial and delivered spot on propositions for solutions."

"Yeah, I remember getting several letters from outraged med nin," she grinned. "I was forced to put out a clarification that all my proposals were hypothetical, mere 'thought experiments'. Needless to say, I was never invited to write for them again."

"I was intrigued, so I wanted to find out who this Kusakawa Naomi was. There was a picture of you on the author's index page," he murmured and brushed his thumb over her left cheekbone. 

"Oh, I remember that. They wanted to photograph me like they photographed the old grey professors who usually write for them. In a formal outfit, unsmiling and looking like a lemon that's been sucked dry," she chuckled. "I kept smiling, though. Pissed them off pretty badly, but in the end they gave up."

"It's fortunate that they did," he replied in a low voice and ran the tips of his fingers along her jaw. "I opened the page to see who this interesting author was and it was a girl. A beautiful young girl."

Her heart jumped in her chest at his reverent tone and she blushed lightly. "I wasn't that young."

"You are, compared to me. I was immediately fascinated, so I sought to learn more. What I saw impressed me further."

"Oh," she muttered and ducked her head. 

"There was a young woman who understood my theories perfectly. Theories, which at the time I wrote them were immediately discarded for being too risky. Not only did she reference them, she boldly dared to develop them further. I wondered if we would think alike about other subjects, too. I wanted to meet you, to discuss other subjects or perhaps share ideas. The prospect of finding a like-minded individual was beyond exciting, but...," he trailed off and grew quiet. 

"But?" She prompted gently. 

"You were too beautiful," he murmured uneasily without looking at her. 

She waited for him to formulate his thoughts. For all his brilliance he certainly seemed tongue-tied when it came to speaking about his feelings. Not for the first time she wondered what horrible experiences he must've had that wounded him so. 

"I have been called brilliant all my life, but also 'creepy' and 'weird looking', to mention only the nicer descriptors." His voice was almost inaudible and he looked distant as if lost in some memory. "I kept the picture."

"You kept my picture?" She asked in a small voice and stared at him in wonder. "O-Oro-kun.."

He put his index finger over her lips and smiled lightly. "I tried to write you a letter. The words never seemed right. I started and discarded it over and over. One letter turned into a hundred wasted sheets of paper. I folded and unfolded the picture and I wondered what lies and promises it would take to get a response from one such as you."

Her brows furrowed and she stared at him unhappily, but he did not remove his finger. Was that how he thought of himself beneath all the bluster and bravado? True, his serpentine features were unique and unlike anybody else she'd ever met, but he was by no means ugly or terrifying. Even back then she would've been intrigued by him. To hear that he knew and wanted to meet her for that long was both flattering and a little daunting. It was good that he only told her now or she would've fallen over her feet to try and impress him at the beginning. It would've been an embarrassing mess for sure. To hear him speaking so highly of her was absolutely disarming. She was so touched her eyes start to burn. 

"Oro-kun, I.. I don't know what to say," she whispered hotly against his finger and blinked several times. "You shouldn't put me on a pedestal-"

"I adore you," he murmured softly. "And I thank the stars that I found you in that cave."

"Oro-kun!" She sobbed and buried her face in his chest. 

"I can't believe that you are mine," he said just as softly as he wrapped his arms around her. "It feels unreal. Too good to be true."

She smiled up at him tearfully and clutched at his tunic. "I would've written you back. Definitely!"

He smiled and bent down. Naomi met him halfway and closed her eyes. Her heart felt too big for her chest and it ached so fiercely from being full of love. He cupper her jaw in both of his hands and covered her face in featherlight kisses. 

"I love you," she whispered. "I love you so much."

"Naomi...," he breathed and put their foreheads together. 

She smiled. "It's alright. Tell me when you're ready. I'll wait."

He closed his eyes and inhaled slowly. "Soon. I promise."

"It's alright."

"Thank you for your patience."

"Heh," she chuckled and stole a quick kiss. "It's no trouble. You'll just have to tell me every day from then on."

"Alright," he replied easily.

"Oh.. I mean.. That was a joke," she mumbled and blushed hard. "You don't actually have to."

"What if I want to?"

"Um, you do?"

"I want everything," he whispered against her lips. "Everything."

"Oro-kun, you're gonna make me cry," she mumbled.

"Once I speak those words to you I cannot take them back," he said quietly with a very intent look. 

"Yeah," she replied. 

"I've never.."

"Oro-kun, I'm not going to-"

"You can't-"

"Heh," she chuckled and kissed him quickly. "Okay, let's slow down."

He exhaled noisily and leaned back. After closing his eyes for a brief moment he smiled down at her. And what a smile it was: she'd never seen that kind of earnest, open expression on his face. He just looked genuinely happy and it made her knees weak. All the more reason to finally get to the bottom of his issues. Even drunk with love her inquisitive mind demanded to know why he was the way he was with a burning intensity. She lifted her arms and put them loosely around his neck. Naomi bit the inside of her cheek and smiled up at him.

"Oro-kun, listen...," she began, but trailed off when he bent down and wrapped his arms around her back so tight she briefly wondered if she'd done something wrong. 

His lips were near her right ear and she felt gooseflesh rise when he trailed them over the sensitive skin there. 

"There once was a beautiful girl just like you," he whispered, sending a shiver down her spine. 

Both, because of his mildly unsettling tone and the hot breath against her ear. Naomi wisely refrained from commenting and made a conscious effort to keep her body relaxed. Perhaps she should get used to sudden changes in the mood with him. 

"Back in Konoha, when I was still young and naive, I fell in love with her. When I finally confessed my feelings she laughed in my face. That was not very nice, so I killed her."

"Ah," she replied neutrally. 

So that was it. A particularly mean rejection in the vulnerable years of puberty. She'd suspected something like that. The way he was talking about it, too, gave away how much it had hurt him. She could tell he was going for a purposefully light and unaffected tone, but it came out rather wrong. It was the kind of voice a psychopath would use if you walked in on him butchering a victim and the first thing he said was a casual comment about the lovely weather. Frankly, it made the hairs at the back of her neck rise. After the first reflex to be freaked out was gone, however, she considered how sad it was. She turned her head to the side against his and huffed into his hair. 

"Deep down you're really vulnerable and sensitive, aren't you?" She murmured "I get it."

"Do you?" He asked casually and there was it again, that brittle sense of danger.

It warned her to chose her words very carefully now. On the other hand, it pretty much confirmed her words. He'd let her in and was obviously struggling with the decision. In fact it almost seemed as if he was terrified by all of this. Terrified to get hurt again. Naomi smiled. 

"It's like, hm. By saying those words you'd be handing me a dagger while you bare your soft underbelly," she said and winced a little when his embrace tightened in warning. "So what I'm going to do is as follows: I'm going to take the dagger and toss it over my shoulder."

"You like your metaphors, don't you."

"The point is that I don't want to hurt you, Oro-kun," she muttered and closed her eyes. "I really really don't."

"Rationally I understand," he replied just as quietly. 

With a big sigh she drew back to face him. Orochimaru looked troubled, despite his neutral expression. She took her sweet time just looking at him, letting her eyes roam over his features. His beautifully unique face. The paper white skin, the purple markings that most likely weren't makeup, the golden eyes with their slitted pupils, his soft androgynous features. Something dark passed through his eyes as they flickered between hers and the corners of his mouth twitched down briefly. 

"What do you see?" 

In me, he didn't say. A slow smile spread across her face like an unstoppable force and she framed his face with her hands before she leaned up on her toes and kissed him softly. 

"You seem to think I'm blind," she commented fondly. "Do you think I just fell in love with your sexy brain?"

"My what?" He asked, looking slightly taken aback.

"You're handsome," she deadpanned and watched plain disbelief play across his features. "Ohh, what's with that look, huh? You think I'm kidding? No. You're really handsome. Pretty. Both. How did you put it? Beautiful. Yeah. That's the word."

"Ah," he said uncertainly. 

"You have the most luxurious hair I've ever seen on anybody besides me. I love your eyes. The way your pupils dilate when you look at me is really stroking my ego, you know. Your face- Everything about it is so.. You have this beautiful bone structure," she sighed and stared at him in awe while her fingertips traced the line of his jaw. "You look so good, Oro-kun. And you're the smartest person I know. I really.. I feel really lucky, too."

He remained quiet. Orochimaru didn't react to her tirade in any way save for the way his eyes flickered between hers with a searching look. Revealing everything in a rush had made the heat rise into her face and Naomi smiled blissfully at getting it all out in a mostly cohesive manner. 

"Is that true?" He finally asked. 

"Absolutely," she replied softly and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. 

"I find that hard to believe," he murmured softly. "But I would like to."

"Oh, then I'll just have to keep repeating it until you do," she grinned. "So, Mr. Handsome, when's the next blood sample coming? Or are you gonna keep me in here forever?"

"Don't tempt me," he muttered and glanced in direction of his workstation. "That being said..."

"Huh?"

"In the beginning I said I'd test you."

"Yeah."

He drew back a little and loosened his embrace. "I only sent them to you to confirm my own findings and to see if you would find anything I might have missed."

"Wait what?!" She stared at him with furrowed brows. "Are you saying you already knew everything I wrote in my reports?!"

"Mostly."

"So my work was completely pointless?!"

"Are you mad?"

"What?! Am I...," she pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled noisily. "Alright. Fair enough. I'm not gonna complain. So what now?"

"I believe you already familiarized yourself with my laboratory," he said. "I need a competent assistant."

"Aha. I see," she nodded wisely. 

"About those cockroaches-"

"No."

"Naomi," he said in warning. 

"I hate bugs, Oro-kun!" She objected and gave him an alarmed look. "I really hate them!"

Orochimaru met her gaze head on and narrowed his eyes a little, but she didn't back down. "I won't do it."

"Oh, you don't like bugs either, is that it?"

He shivered a little. "Yes.."

"Well that's a problem."

"I'll see if Suigetsu can do it, then."

"Ah, that guy huh. With the teeth.."

"Yes."

"Hm," she hummed. "He's funny in a weird way."

"That's true."

Naomi smiled faintly and took a step back, only to realize that she'd much rather remain glued to him. Her.. 

"Hey Oro-kun?" She asked.

"What is it?"

"I.. um.. I've got a confession to make..," she mumbled and fluttered her lashes at him.

"Ah?"

She sighed and went back to him, taking his hands into her own. "I really like you. Would you like to.. um.. D-do you want to be my.. boyfriend?"

She squeezed her eyes shut and felt her face heat up violently. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she felt slightly panicked after asking that question. It was so concrete.. Was he even ready for something that solid? One of his hands moved to cup her jaw. 

"Aren't we already past that?" He sounded amused. 

"W-well, it would only be proper.. I didn't want to assume..," she swallowed hard and glanced up at him shyly. "I guess I.. want to hear it.."

"Yes, Naomi," he said patiently. "I am yours."

"Oh," she breathed and broke out into a huge grin. "I'm glad we cleared that up."

"Well?" He asked and raised a brow. 

"What- oh. Oh. Yeah, I'm yours, too, if you'll have me," she said with an impish grin. 

"Splendid," he replied dryly. 

Naomi just grinned and glanced at the clock. It was getting rather late and this productive heart-to-heart had tired her. A warm glow nested beneath her sternum and suffused her entire being. This was the most stable she'd felt in a long, long time. Being with Orochimaru -being in love with him- was like balm on the cracks in her soul. She could only hope that it was a little like that for him, too. She let out a huge yawn and stretched her arms over her head.

"Alright, I'm beat. I'm gonna go to bed now," she said slowly. "See you tomorrow."

"Stay."

She blinked at him. "Huh?"

"You always complain about the temperature in the hallways so you might as well stay," he said rather neutrally. 

"Alright," she replied lightly. 

Well well well. That was new. That was.. something. She glanced at the paper wall seperating his bed from the rest of the room. Then she realized that she had no nightshirt in here. Or any of her beauty products. Going back all the way to her room felt like too much of a drag. Besides, she was ridiculously happy that he wanted her here. So far, the only times she was allowed to remain in his bed were after they had sex. This felt like progress. Naomi muffled a yawn behind her hand and placed a fleeting kiss on his cheek before she went over to his bed. It would seem he preferred sleeping in silks. This time the sheets and pillows were covered in purple silk. She quickly shucked off her clothes and slid under the covers before she could freeze to death and pulled them up to her neck. The feeling of softness and silk on her skin was overwhelmingly divine and she closed her eyes with a happy sigh. Then they snapped up again when she remembered that she should probably brush her teeth. 

"Oh man," she groaned and rubbed a hand down her face. "Hey, can I borrow a shirt?"

"My clothes are in the closet," he called in response. 

She blinked once and started to grin. It turned out that he owned a lot of fancy stuff in his huge walk-in closet. Some of his things made her wonder, like the huge purple cord she found coiled at the bottom of a dresser. It was surprisingly heavy. If she didn't know better she'd say he was a fashionista. There was a whole big box of hair accessoires alone. He had several expensive looking, beautiful kimonos, yukatas, dresses and shirts alike. She chose a plain black shirt to toss on and resolved to ask if she could try on some of the other stuff sometime. There was even, much to her surprise, a whole drawer with slips and panties. It would seem he wasn't very discerning when it came to clothes. Naomi felt a bit like a kid in a candy store. He glanced at her with an amused look when she came out with bright eyes and an excited grin on her face. 

"You have so much stuff!" She exclaimed after closing the door behind her. "Way more than me! That's amazing!"

"I have collected various outfits over the years, considering that my body has changed several times."

"Kami, I'm so jealous," she sighed. "Got a bathroom?"

"Next door."

"Can I borrow a toothbrush?" She asked hesitantly.

"Go ahead," he said with a chuckle.

"Aw, you're so good to me," she sighed happily. 

"Is a toothbrush all it takes to make you happy?" 

Naomi laughed a little at his teasing tone. "Right now? Yeah!"

It turned out that his bathroom was not only bigger than hers, his bathtub also had a smooth surface. She found this highly unfair and resolved to give him reason to let her take baths here instead. She was pretty sure she could come up with something. In the end, she couldn't really fall asleep alone in his bed. This was all new and exciting. When the mattress finally dipped down under his weight she opened her eyes and turned around with a small smile. 

"Can't sleep?"

"Uh uh," she hummed sleepily. "Not without you."

"Is that so?" He replied quietly. 

She shifted closer to his warm body under the covers and closed her eyes when their skin touched. "Mh. Warm."

"Turn around," he whispered. 

"Ngh," she groaned and did as he asked. 

He promptly entangled their limbs and pulled her flush against his chest. Naomi felt him kiss the back of her head and sighed blissfully. This was heaven. It had to be. 

Life was really pretty good from then on. Most of her stuff began to migrate into his rooms. Her bedroom saw very little use anymore and she happily assisted with his experiments. A few ideas for research of her own swirled lazily around her brain, but for the most part she just wanted to be by his side. Not just figuratively, as a second chair appeared at his desk at some point. At first she was a little worried about smothering him with her affection, but Orochimaru not only sucked it up like a sponge, oh no. He pretty much demanded it. She quickly got used to the feeling and weight of his arm around her middle, of fingers stroking her skin or hair. It was really nice not to be the only handsy one. It was quite funny, too, in some cases. Like when she went to eat in the cafeteria, since unlike him she still needed to sustain herself with food. If she didn't immediately go to sit down besides him when she came back he would rise up to seek her out when she did something at another table first. 

Naomi had tested this out, because it was stroking her ego. Every time without fail he came to her, grabbing and kissing like he was starving for it in her absence. It was weird how her body immediately relaxed when he touched her. She wondered lazily if perhaps there were some sort of pheromones in his skin that she was addicted to, or maybe in his smell or something. She couldn't get enough of him. It didn't really occur to her to be careful about all the sex they were having. Considering his unique shape condoms were pretty much useless as they'd end up ripping anyway. He did claim to have modified his body in every way so she didn't really think anything would happen. Why else would he have artificially created children? Exactly four months after they met he turned to her one evening with an unusually serious look. 

"You should sleep in your own bed tonight," he said without preamble.

"Huh?" She blinked and tilted her head back in surprise. "Why?"

He looked away with a small frown. "To clear your head."

Naomi's brows twitched down. The prospect of sleeping alone was wholly unappealing. His tone brooked no argument and she had to wonder what he was cooking up now. No matter how often she said that she loved him he didn't seem inclined to believe her and he kept testing her. She tried to be patient, but couldn't deny the slight frustration growing inside. Orochimaru was very observant, he had to know what his hesitation was doing to her. Naomi was certain of her feelings and if he wasn't then that was more his issue than hers. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. 

"Why should I clear my head?" She asked calmly. 

He looked at her steadily and she longed for his touch, but for once he made no move to touch her. 

"Tomorrow," he began and cleared his throat. "There is something you should see. Meet me in the training field outside."

"The one between the cliffs?"

"Yes."

It was more like a crater inbetween rocky cliffs only accessible through an underground tunnel. She raised her brows and gave him a curious look. Something conflicted passed over his features before he put on his blank mask and looked away. If she didn't know better she'd say that he was anxious about something. What exactly did he want her to see? It had to be something pretty special if he was this worried about her reaction. She glanced at the clock and sighed. Whatever his reasons were, being tossed out of his bed even for one night made her deeply unhappy. After all they'd been glued together for weeks now. Naomi pouted as she stood up and went to collect her things from the bathroom. She rooted around below his covers until she found her nightshirt and paused to stare down at his bed with an unhappy frown. It couldn't be helped. If this was what he wanted... 

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow," she said with a forced little smile and paused at the door. 

"Yes," he said without looking up. 

She grit her teeth and left his room without another word. It hurt. More than expected. She felt strangely cold without a warm body by her side and shivered as she headed through the hallways. This was not ideal. Very very not ideal. She tossed the shirt onto her own bed and put her things in her bathroom with a deep frown. Both rooms looked as pristine as she'd left them. Feeling restless and more than slightly hurt she went into her lab and began to rifle through her notes. She had to distract herself somehow.

Most of her old notes from Amegakure didn't manage to hold her interest anymore. Back then she'd exclusively focused on creating new medical jutsu or developing pre-existing ones for better efficiency. One folder caught her interest, however. It was something she came up with on the fly, a particularly risky technique she never got the chance to test. It had the potential to be a biggie, but was far from refined. Naomi spread the notes across her desk and tapped her lips in thought. The chances of it working on the fly like she intended were really low. It would require intense focus and concentration to manipulate one's own chakra coils like that, obtained through long hours of meditation. 

"Hm," she hummed. "But if it does work..."

This technique was meant to save the one casting it from any fatal injury. By manipulating one's chakra coils to go into overdrive on one hand and re-directing one's entire chakra to flow to the area where the fatal damage was expected, effectively creating a huge bundle of chakra to instantly heal the injury. All of one's chakra would be centered in one place, which was what made it so dangerous. Even if it ended up saving the caster's life it would likely result in damage to the rest of their body. How severe that damage would be was difficult to tell. It could be temporary or lasting depending on how long the chakra flow was cut off. Naomi remembered trying to figure out how to minimize the damages when she was apprehended and thrown out of Amegakure. Now that she thought about it the answer seemed obvious. She picked up her pen and started to write. Making lists and diagrams always helped her sort her thoughts. It was pointless to try and lie down since she wouldn't be able to sleep anyway. Purposefully ignoring her body's signs of tiring, she stayed up all night to work on her latest project. 

When the first grey light of dawn shone through her window she looked up and yawned loudly. Hopefully they could be done with Orochimaru's latest trial quickly and go to sleep together. Feeling mildly vindictive she secretly hoped that he didn't get to sleep either. She stood up and stretched, wincing at the tension in her shoulders. It would probably be cold outside. She went to her closet and grabbed the only hoodie she owned. Just for today, she thought with a grimace as she slipped it on. Such bulky unshapely attire.. She hated it already. 

One of her biggest weaknesses was her total and utter lack of any sense of direction. It took an hour until she found the door leading to the training area again. Naomi yawned and shivered when she pushed through the door leading outside. It was a large rocky arena where several more or less obvious holes and dents in the cliffs were proof of the strenght of some former subordinates of his. Naomi squinted up at the sky and then looked around. 

"Oro-kun?" She called quietly. "Am I late?"

"Not at all," he said.

Where did he come from?! Naomi squinted at him. Her eyes were burning and overly sensitive. He looked perfectly pristine as usual. Unfair. She hugged herself. Orochimaru looked pleased to see her, but also oddly reluctant. He came closer, but kept a good six feet of distance between them. Every single one was too much. Naomi bit the inside of her cheek.

"So what did you want to show me?"

"A final test," he muttered and lowered his eyes to the ground. "Just one more."

"Ah," she said softly and thought: Finally!

There was an oddly resigned look in his eyes when they lifted to meet hers. "You may still walk away."

"Show me," she said insistently.

"Very well, then I shall be honest at last," he muttered in a voice that was more gravelly than usual. 

He closed his eyes. Suddenly he made a retching sound. Naomi held her breath when his body started to convulse. Her brain refused to comprehend what happened next. His mouth opened wide, wider than should be humanly possible. She forgot to breathe when suddenly something started to emerge from within. Before her very eyes a giant snake burst out of his mouth. Orochimaru's body crumpled like a discarded sack. The snake was huge and made up of what looked like several smaller unmoving white snakes. Its head vaguely resembled Orochimaru's face, except scaly and had a pointy chin. It was surrounded by a wild mess of spiky black hair. She blinked once, twice and automatically began to parse what she was seeing. A giant snake. A giant white snake. That was his true form?! He looked down at her from above. A huge... snake... Naomi made a beckoning motion with her hand.

"Hey. Get down here," she said steadily. 

Orochimaru lowered his head until he was within reach. A small grin quirked her lips. She stood up on the tips of her toes and placed a kiss above his nostrils. 

"Give it up," she said quietly once she drew back. "You're not gonna get rid of me, no matter which shape you take on. I love you, Oro-kun."

"You say you love me," he said in disbelief. "Even.. like this?"

"Yeah. Yeah.. ah.. ahaha..," she slowly shook her head and let out a disbelieving laugh. "Wow. It was you all along. I'm not insane after all. Well, not that insane."

Naomi chuckled and shook her head. Incredible. Fucking incredible. So that was the meaning behind those dreams. How utterly bemusing. How did her subconscious know? Did it know? Who would've thought he was actually a snake?! So was his human body really a guise? How exactly did this work? Was it a guise or his actual form? How did this whole changing bodies thing work? Oh, he truly was a fascinating person. This definitely went beyond mere jutsu, this was actual transformation of the highest level! What the hell- A strange sound made her snap out of her musings. She looked up and saw a most heartbreaking sight. Big round tears were leaking out of his eyes. All at once, her enthusiasm for this discovery paled. 

"Oro-kun, don't cry!" She hurried to say and stretched her arms to put her hands on both sides of his scaly face. "Darling, please don't cry."

He lowered his head and made a strange hiccuping, retching noise. Naomi stepped to the side when his fanged mouth opened and Orochimaru emerged in his human form, covered in spittle. He slid out of the snake's mouth and stood up. His breath hitched and he wiped at his eyes. Naomi wasted no time and, disregarding his moist appearance, pressed herself against him. She looked up at his face with a small worried frown and placed her hands at the sides of his face. His eyes were very wide and glittering with tears that kept trailing down his cheeks. 

"Oro-kun," she murmured unhappily. "Why are you crying?"

"Because," he said in a rush and sniffled. 

"I'm glad you shared this with me," she said softly. "Thank you for trusting me."

He bent down and hugged her crushingly tight, burying his face against her neck. Naomi smiled serenely and stroked the back of his head. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered as long as she got to hold him again. 

"Do you believe it now?" She asked teasingly. 

"I.. yes," he said hoarsely. "Yes, yes. I cannot help it."

"Good," she sighed with relief. "I'm glad. You know, I didn't sleep all night."

"Me neither."

Something warm and aching choked her throat. Her smile grew until her cheeks hurt. She closed her eyes and rested her head against his. 

"It would seem our particular kinds of weirdness are compatible, huh?" She chuckled. 

"Naomi.. my most precious Naomi," he mumbled and trailed his lips along her neck. "My dearest."

She inhaled sharply and shivered when she felt his fangs run along her sensitive skin, grazing it. Not deep enough to draw blood, but deep enough to leave a prickling sensation in their wake. 

"Ah.. Oro-kun..?"

"I'm blessed," he muttered nonsensically. 

"Now you're exaggerating," she laughed lightly. 

"No, not at all," he objected and drew back to look down at her.

Naomi smiled tiredly and muffled a yawn behind her hand. "If you don't mind, I really need a nap right now."

"Of course," he replied readily. "Let's go."

"You're coming with?" She raised a brow at him in surprise. 

He kept his arm around her shoulders as they walked back inside and smiled. "Yes."

She grinned to herself as they rounded the corner to his private quarters. Every minute they'd spent apart felt like too much. Orochimaru watched her undress with a serene smile as he slipped out of his tunic and pants. She slipped under the covers and held out her hand. He took it and followed her down. It was enough to simply feel his body against hers without clothes in the way. A strange feeling overcame her then. It was greater and more vast than anything she'd ever felt before. For some reason her eyes started to burn and her throat grew tight. This was it. 

"You're the one," she said shakily and pressed her face into his chest. "You're the one."

"I feel it, too," he replied quietly. "This is how we're blessed."

"Ye-yeah," she sobbed and grinned broadly. "Yeah. I don't ever want to be parted from you again."

"No. That will not happen," he promised. "Never."

 

Except reality had a strange way of getting in the way of such ardent promises. Perhaps she should've paid more attention and seen it coming. The past caught up with her one day when the alarm systems began to ring. An intruder had broken into the complex late at night. Naomi was alone in her lab, working on some technique. When the shrill ringing noise started her head jerked up and she looked around frantically. The doors would automatically go into lockdown exactly two minutes after the alarm started and she was torn between staying and running out into the hallway. Naomi hated being locked in. Besides she was irrationally worried about Orochimaru. She hated being away from him right now. 

Still, when he told her exactly how the system worked he'd instructed her to stay put inside her lab. He'd most likely be in his own, trying to figure out via the cameras where the intruder was at and directing his first response shinobi towards them. She frowned severly. Who would be so foolish as to break in here? Everybody knew who Orochimaru was and what he could do. Perhaps somebody who was after his knowledge? Or worse, somebody with an old grudge. She stood up from her chair, intending to turn on the ceiling lights. If she already had to be locked in then at least she wanted to be able to see the whole room. Everything else would make her claustrophobic. Halfway across the room her arms were roughly yanked behind her back and a sharp kunai appeared at her throat. Naomi sucked in a harsh breath and froze. 

"Gotcha, bitch," a rough female voice hissed into her ear. 

"Who are you?" She demanded tensely, feeling the pulse thunder against the knife at her throat. 

"Norai Shion, though I don't expect you to remember the name," she snapped. 

"What do you want from me?!"

"You're the Devil of Amegakure!" Shion snapped. "The investigations uncovered that you killed 76 people with your reckless experiments! You're a cruel monster who took advantage of the homeless in desperate need for medicine! You tested your dangerous solutions on poor people like us! My mother died after drinking your fucking poison! Then you had the gall to sell it to people after claiming to have refined the formula! You profited from countless deaths!"

Naomi's brows furrowed as she frantically tried to recall ever meeting a Mrs. Norai. She'd treated so many people back then.. Nothing came to mind. Why was her mind so blank?! She couldn't think straight when a knife was biting into her skin. Shion practically radiated hostility. This was very very bad. With a sinking feeling she realized that she might not get out of this alive.

"I-I don't remember her!" She admitted with a slight tremble in her voice. 

Shion's grip tightened painfully as she yanked her arms back even further until her joints ached.

"You fucking whore! My mom was all I had! After she died I was alone. The things I had to do to survive... You're going to pay. I'm gonna make you pay, scum!"

Naomi felt strangely cold. Her entire body seemed to throb along with her pulse. It was so damned dark in here. At least Orochimaru didn't have to see this, she thought with a faint sense of relief. Poor Oro-kun. Unbidden tears burned in her eyes. She didn't want to break his heart like that. Not when they'd only just begun!

"He's going to kill you," she whispered.

Shion's grip didn't waver, but she heard her unsteady breathing and felt the other's woman's tension. 

"I don't give a fuck anymore! I just want to see justice done!" Shion yelled. "Justice for my mother and all the others who died because of you!"

There was no arguing and no bargaining with that unhinged woman. Shion was going to kill her. She swallowed convulsively. There was no way to.. except.. It was worth a shot. What did she have to lose? Either it worked or not. Naomi stared at the door, so close yet so far away. Her concentration was all over the place, her heart was thundering frantically. Shion was hesitating, so maybe her resolve to murder her wasn't as strong as she claimed. Or perhaps she was waiting for an apology. It gave her a tiny little window of opportunity. Her hands were within reach of each other. Snake, Tiger, Boar, Horse. No way to do it unconspicuously. It didn't matter anymore. She closed her eyes and started to form the signs as quickly as she could with her trembling limbs. 

"Hey! Stop! What the fuck are you doing, bitch!" Shion roared in alarm.

The door flew open with a bang. A searing pain erupted all over her body. It felt like her muscles were tearing apart all at once. Naomi was broadsided by the crippling pain, but at the same time she felt her chakra coils kick into overdrive. Chakra was rushing into her throat from all over her body and it was incredibly painful, felt like all of her blood vessels were bursting. She gasped; it was the only sound she could make. 

"Fuck! Fuck! Stay back!" Shion yelled and yanked her back.

"Release her or I'll make you suffer!" Orochimaru snarled. 

"You know nothing of suffering, so let me teach you a thing or two!" Shion hissed darkly. "You'll all pay for ruining my fucking life!"

**"NO!"**

Naomi's eyes flew open when the knife dug in. She felt it seperate skin and the cartilage of her windpipe. It was the worst pain she'd ever felt in her life, but it was gone in a flash. It dawned vaguely on her that it got her aorta when a spray of bright red blood -oh kami, that was _arterial blood_ \- spurted out in an arch in front of her. A strange ringing in her ears was the only sound she heard. Her throat was on fire. Her body felt numb. She couldn't think. Shock. This was it. This was it. The end. Darkness crept into her vision. Did it work? It didn't feel like- Why was she- On her knees- Floor- 

 

Waking up took longer than ever before. Slowly her consciousness clawed its way out of the dark abyss. She felt completely relaxed after the deepest sleep she'd had in ages. While she wouldn't classify her state as rejuvenated, she did feel pleasantly well-rested. Naomi kept her eyes closed and breathed evenly. After a while of pleasant drowsiness she began to register how uncomfortable her resting place was. It was a rock hard surface with no give. At least it was warm. Particularly above her head and at her feet she felt two centres of warmth. Strange. She shifted a little when her shoulderblades ached from pushing against the stone. Was it stone? It felt like it. That made her notice her cover. She was wearing something long.. a dress? No longer able to ignore her curiosity, Naomi opened her eyes. 

She was looking at a dark ceiling. After blinking a few times to clear her blurry vision she noticed a bright glow at her feet. Moving hurt. Her entire body felt sore and stiff. She winced when she tried to lift her head and felt a stabbing pain shoot through her entire throat. Ah? Her eyes widened when she started to recall everything that happened. Right. Her throat was cut. Very slowly she managed to lift her right hand, grinding her teeth against the pain and pull of her stiff muscles. She touched her throat and felt some sort of cloth. Not a bandage. It felt.. frilly. Lace? Why was she wearing lace around her neck? Naomi looked at her right arm like she'd never seen it before. What was she wearing?! She saw a long sleeve of very soft, elaborate white lace. It had a beautiful floral pattern. She lowered her arm, already feeling exhausted again. She was definitely lying on a stone surface. Naomi closed her eyes and focused inward. Her chakra coils were extensively damaged. It would take weeks to recover from that. It was no wonder that there was barely any chakra left in her system. That would explain the pain. So it worked! Her technique worked! Though at the moment she couldn't take any joy in it. 

Naomi exhaled slowly. She couldn't damn well stay lying here. It was too uncomfortable. She'd have to bite the bullet and get up. Best to get it over with quickly, she thought. Naomi held her breath, grit her teeth and surged up into a sitting position. It hurt like hell and made her dizzy. When the urge to throw up receded she dared to open her eyes again. There were at least a dozen lit candles sitting at her feet. That explained exactly nothing save the warmth. She also noticed that her hair was loose. She reached up automatically and winced at the pull of her muscles. Something was on top of her head. It felt like a wreath of flowers. What the hell. Looking down, she realized that she was wearing a beautiful elaborate white dress. It was covered in little pearls and there was lots of lace. It had a low collar with a white lace trim. A... was this.. it looked like a wedding dress. What the hell! 

She looked around. This room was unfamiliar. It was rather large. The stone walls and floor looked uncomfortably like a cavern. It was dark save for the glow of the candles. Very slowly she dared to lower her legs over the edge of what was a stone.. table? Altar? None of this made any sense. Another dozen candles were sitting above where her head had rested moments before. A total fire hazard. She looked around feeling sort of lost. Was this a cave? Why was she in a cave? Was this still Orochimaru's lair? Speaking of which, where was he? It was so dark in here.. Ah! In the darkness she spotted a vaguely human shaped figure sitting with its back to her at a table. One of the snake lamps was lit, but gave off very little light. The figure was slumped over. Sleeping? Naomi was pretty certain she wouldn't be able to walk like this.

"Oro-kun?" She called softly. "Oro-kun?"

The figure stirred and sat up, but didn't acknowledge her otherwise. Naomi bit her lower lip. Right. He watched as that woman slit her throat. Poor Oro-kun... Her heart ached for him. She couldn't imagine the agony it must have caused him. After he finally allowed himself to believe in her love. 

"Oro-kun, why am I dressed like this? What's with the candles?" She asked hesitantly.

"Your last outfit should be your most beautiful," he replied. "The candlelight makes it look like you're just sleeping."

Naomi flinched at the sound of his voice. It was absolutely dead. There was no inflection whatsoever and she barely understood the words since it was so hoarse and gravelly. As if.. as if he'd been shouting too much. Her heart broke at the thought. 

"What are you doing?" She asked when he refused to turn around. 

"I'm trying to figure out the best way to preserve your body," he replied quietly. "I think embalming would be the most effective."

"Embalming, huh?" She muttered. 

"Yes. Neither fire nor rot shall have you."

"That makes sense," she replied gently. 

She watched him sit there for a while and felt her insides ache just like her muscles. Orochimaru wasn't willing to let her go. He wanted to keep her with him forever. Even if it was just her empty shell. Every time she thought she couldn't love him any more he proved her wrong. 

"Oro-kun, look at me," she called softly, but he kept ignoring her. "Why won't you look at me?"

"It hurts."

"Why does it hurt?"

"Because I love you, silly."

She gasped softly. Finally he said it! Finally there had been something in his voice, a slight crack in the horrible monotone. He should never ever sound so hollow. And he still refused to look at her. Naomi grit her teeth and shifted forward until her bare feet were touching the cold stone floor. So that was the reason for this outfit. Despite the pain she was in she felt something soft and warm unfurl inside her. It was a beautiful dress. She longed for a mirror to look at it properly, but she already knew it would look amazing. Orochimaru wouldn't pick something that was anything less than perfect for her, after all. She breathed evenly until the pain was bearable before she slowly tried to stand up. Her knees felt like jelly. Her muscles screamed in protest and she immediately started to wobble on her feet. Naomi let out a soft grunt and quickly sat back down. Just how long had she been out cold? For her muscles to atrophy that much... Must've been a while. Naomi focused her attention and tried to stand up again. Her vision swam for a while and her legs kept trembling, but she could stand. Gritting her teeth, she frowned with determination and took a step forward. Her stomach lurched and she threw her arms out to regain her balance. Waves of dizziness washed over her. Naomi looked at the ceiling, breathing evenly. Then she took another step. And another. Nothing would keep her from Orochimaru. Step after step she walked towards him. Up close she could tell what a mess he was without looking at his face. His hair was in total disarray and all tangled. His tunic was loose and wrinkled as if he hadn't changed it in days and even slept in it. Slowly she put her hand on his left shoulder.

"Oro-kun, look at me," she demanded softly. 

Most of his face was obscured by long strands of ebon hair that hung listetlessly into his features. His shoulders were hunched and nothing of his formerly proud posture remained. When he slowly turned to face her she still caught a glimpse of his empty golden eyes. They were very red and puffy from crying. Even now that she was standing there, tears kept leaking from them in a steady stream. Her heart broke a little more at the sight. She reached out and brushed the hair out of his face. His expression was absent, as if he was totally lost in his own mind. As if he was looking right through her. Naomi swallowed hard and cupped the right side of his face with her left hand. 

"O..Oro-kun," she whispered hotly. "I'm here. I'm fine."

"Naomi," he rasped in a broken voice. "I'm so sorry. I tried bringing you back for hours. I healed the cut to the best of my ability. I tried cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but your heart wouldn't start beating again.."

"It's alright."

"Nothing's alright," he ground out and his breath hitched on a sob. "Nothing."

"I'm alive," she said and frowned lightly when he shook his head jerkily. "Come here."

She placed her hands on his shoulders and pulled. It was alarming how easy it was to pull him against her. He was unresisting like a ragdoll. Naomi wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close. Orochimaru sobbed into her stomach and hugged her hips. He felt so frail in her arms. It seemed he thought she was dead and this was all a vision. 

"This is such a beautiful dress," she murmured and stroked the back of his head. "It's a wedding dress, isn't it?"

"Don't do this to me," he begged hoarsely. 

"It fits me perfectly. Isn't there something you want to tell me?"

"It's too late. It's all too late."

"Ah," she breathed and suddenly started feeling violently dizzy again. "O-Oro-kun I'm.. I'm gonna faint.."

He jerked back and stared up at her in shock. Her legs refused to cooperate anymore. Naomi grunted softly as she fell forward. He caught and pulled her onto his lap. Closing her eyes against the way the world spun around her she exhaled deeply and rested her head against his shoulder, ignoring the way it set the flower wreath askew on her head. 

"Yes," she muttered faintly. "I do."

A tremor ran through his body so violently she felt it, too. "Na..omi..? Is..this.. real?"

"I'm here," she mumbled. "I created a jutsu for emergencies like that."

"A jutsu?"

"Mhm. I'm really alive, Oro-kun," she sighed happily. "Thank kami."

"How can it be? You were.. cold. There was no pulse. I checked, over and over, I.."

"Shh," she murmured and looked up at him with a smile. "It was a safety measure. Reducing my body functions down to a death-like state so the sudden lack of chakra flow wouldn't result in organ damage. Something like hibernation. Guess I'm lucky you didn't decide to embalm me just yet."

Orochimaru recoiled with a horrified expression and Naomi instantly regretted her words. She reached up and touched the side of his face. 

"I want this," she told him quietly. "That was why I did something so drastic. I'll even cheat death for you."

His grip around her shoulders tightened and he pushed her up before he bent down and stole a quick kiss. When he drew back an utterly amazed look had replaced his desolation. 

"I love you."

Naomi's eyes widened and a delighted smile spread across her face. "I love you, too!"

"I love you. I love you. I love you." He kept repeating it in a reverent murmur that was more like a prayer than a confession.

His eyes were very wide and he reached up with trembling hands to hesitantly cup the sides of her face. 

"Oro-kun," she sighed happily and leaned into his touch. 

"This isn't a dream, is it?" He mumbled uncertainly.

"No. I'm real."

"Fascinating," he burst out with an unsteady smile. "You amaze me. I love you, I LOVE-"

"Shh," she said and put her hand over his mouth before he could go into fully blown hysterics. "Enough. You've been sitting here too long. What you need is a bath and a nap."

He nodded meekly. His eyes were still a little too wide and his breath still came a little too quickly. Naomi smiled warmly at him and waited until he calmed down before she removed her hand.

"Hey.. kiss me," she demanded softly.

A soft breath escaped him and he hurried to oblige. It was the most innocent kiss they'd shared up to that point, but Naomi enjoyed it all the same. As their lips slid together in a most gentle manner he finally seemed to lose that frantic tension that had seeped into his frame. After a while he drew back first, which was a sign that he'd started to pull himself together, and licked his lips. Naomi watched his long serpentine tongue dart out with a grin. This habit of his never ceased to amuse her. Suddenly a hilarious thought hit her and she snickered a bit. It was too silly to say out loud. 

"What is it?"

"N-nothing," she replied from behind her hand.

"Tell me," he insisted. "I want to know what makes you laugh."

She ducked her head and leaned it against his collarbones. "Heh. It's just.. The dress.. Does this make me your snake-wife? Pffft! Ahaha.."

"You find it amusing?" He asked with mock-offense.

Or perhaps it was real. Naomi swallowed and didn't dare to look up. Hopefully his state of mind wasn't so fragile anymore.

"J-just the word. Not the.. meaning. Nevermind! It's just something that came to mind. I wouldn't-"

"Let's postpone this discussion," he murmured gently. 

"Y-yeah," she replied.

For some reason her entire face started to burn up at the sudden intimacy of the situation. Her heart jumped in her chest as a warm glow spread through her body. She felt his chin come to rest atop of her head and smiled. 

"A bath and a nap. What do you say?"

"Please," she groaned. "You'll have to help me walk. I'm sore all over."

"Of course," he murmured gently. 

A pained grimace grew on her face as she slowly stood up. Orochimaru was out of his seat in one fluid motion and eyed her with worry. 

"Does it hurt a lot?"

"Y-yeah, but it's manageable. It's just- HEY!" She let out a surprised noise when her position changed suddenly.

Orochimaru smiled as he carried her bridal style across the room. Naomi blushed and bore it. She stared curiously at the stone walls of what was a long corridor dimly lit by snake candles. She had no idea where this part of the lair was supposed to be, but it seemed likely to be a subterranean level below the heart of the base. At either rate it took a while until they reached the long stairs leading up. Naomi put her arms around his neck when he started to climb them effortlessly and marvelled at his kind of not really surprising strenght. When they reached the top he wasn't even breathing hard. He just kept walking through a set of automatic doors and into a more familiar hallway. It seemed to be nearby his quarters, for they reached his bedroom and the bathroom next to it in no time. He let her down gently and she winced at the pull in her legs when she was back on her own two feet. 

"Uh, help me with the zipper please," she muttered as she looked down at herself. 

"This isn't a cheap dress," he hummed in response and started doing something at the top of her back. "It has lacing."

"Oh?" She said and looked up. "Like a corset? But it's so comfy!"

"Well, of course," he murmured.

She felt him undo the lacing at her back and shivered lightly. Once it came loose he helped her slip out of the dress. Looking at it now, she saw just how beautiful and intricate it was. He held it out for her to see and she couldn't take her eyes off it. Naomi lifted her eyes to meet his after a while.

"Beautiful," she whispered.

He averted his gaze and left the bathroom with it. Gooseflesh broke out all over her body as she haltingly walked over to the sink. She reached up to undo the white lace choker around her neck, fumbling with the small clasps at the back of her neck. Holding her breath she pulled it off and stared at her neck. It looked unharmed, which was testament to his skill. Naomi felt her throat and instinctively inspected it, but even attempting to use what little chakra she had left caused a searing pain all over. 

"Ahh, fuck," she hissed and gripped onto the sink when another wave of nausea rolled through her body. 

Warm hands came to rest on her hips. "Are you alright?" He asked in alarm. 

"Fine," she ground out. "Just tired."

"Come, then."

Even though she would've liked a bath, he guided her to his bed instead. Naomi blushed a little when he had to help her put on a plain shirt and underwear. The indignity of it made her grit her teeth. Despite the way it burned and pulled she laid down herself and pulled the covers over her. Orochimaru undressed and cast her a quick look. 

"I.. apologize.. I would take a bath first, but I hesitate to leave you alone."

"Come here," she huffed. 

What did it matter? It wasn't like he was filthy. His arm snuck under the middle of her back and one of his legs came to rest between hers. It was mildly uncomfortable, but she'd never say so. Not when he was obviously already afraid of hurting her, lying on his side and looking down at her lying on her back. 

"By the way," she muttered and blinked up at him. "What did you do to that woman?"

His eyes narrowed slightly and a menacing little smile quirked his lips. "She is atoning for her sins."

"Atoning?" Naomi asked slowly. "You didn't kill her?"

"I am killing her. Slowly."

Naomi stared at him for a few beats, debating whether it was wise to ask. "Uh.. how?"

He lifted his free hand to cup her jaw. "Let's just say that my research into mold was fruitful."

"Alright, say no more!" She cut in quickly with a bright smile. "Just this once I'm not gonna be curious."

"Fine," he huffed with an amused expression, but the darkness in his eyes didn't recede. 

She closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. "I've been thinking. About what she said."

"Do not blame yourself," he stated fiercely. 

"I don't," Naomi replied with a shrug. "I stand by what I did. What I was gonna say is that you need better security checks. There's no way anybody in Amegakure would know I'm here if there wasn't a leak somewhere."

"I'll take care of it," he murmured.

"I'm sure you will," she replied easily. "Don't go overboard. Remember our guests."

"Hmph. I have taken measures to keep them blind to my important projects."

"Good," she said through a yawn. 

"Sleep," he whispered. 

"What about you?"

"I'll keep watch."

"Why?" She muttered and squinted at him with a frown.

He just brushed his thumb over her cheekbone with a smile. "This body requires no rest."

"Eh?! So every time we laid down-!"

"What do you think why I did it?" He said with a grin.

Naomi blushed. She closed her eyes and ducked her head with a small smile. He'd loved her this whole time, he'd just been afraid to say it. Perhaps for over two years. It made her stomach feel funny. Orochimaru was complicated. He wasn't really nice. The pursuit of knowledge was his raison d'être, the primary goal whose accomplishment justified any means. He was cruel, ruthless and very very selfish. Naomi wasn't really kind. Other people did not interest her beyond a superficial level; beyond their ability to make her feel good. She was ruthless, selfish and vain. Her primary goal in life was to gather knowledge. The two of them were, for better or worse, a match made in hell. In its own brilliant way, however, it truly felt like heaven.


End file.
